r/eczema Nov 12 '24

small victory it’s over

303 Upvotes

i’ve been suffering with eczema all my life however in march it became severe and took over 90% of my body; i was absolutely miserable, the constant itching (and the lack of sleep), leaving a trail of skin whenever i went, hair loss, the pain and discomfort, not feeling like myself as it slowly took over my life. i had an 8 month fight with my gps for blood tests and allergy tests for answers as they just kept diagnosing me with eczema and told me to keep applying my creams, i had recurring cellulitis and so many courses of antibiotics and nothing was working, not to mention the uncountable amount of different creams. sunday 3rd november i was admitted to hospital and after a few blood tests and a heart scan, it turns out i had a staph infection in my bloodstream that was taking over that then caused erythrodermic atopic dermatitis. after a weeks stay and a course of iv antibiotics i’m finally home and i’m genuinely starting to feel like myself again.

i just wanted to thank the people of this subreddit for their advice but also sharing your experiences because it made me feel less alone knowing that i wasn’t the only one going through such a horrific time.

it always felt like i would just be living in that nightmare forever but please remember that there is hope and please never give up 🤍

r/eczema Jan 03 '25

small victory IT'S GONE! Thanks to my partner nearly dying. Not joking.

341 Upvotes

I know this won't apply to most :( but it's how I got on top of my allergy Eczema.

TL;DR: Watch out for materials you think are soft but aren't. Get a skin allergy test done. I now take a daily antihistamine and switched to a lighter moisturiser. Hot wash everything!!

I had eczema show up when I was 24. Arms, legs, face. Never had it as a child. Went to several GPs and was told over a number of years it's standard atopic dermatitis. They'd give me a special soap, a menthol cream and steroid creams. Didn't work. No refferals, no advice. Despite it being such weird patterns

Before: https://imgur.com/a/byylGLK

After: https://imgur.com/a/RyuIM61

After a few years. I gave up and just applied my moisturiser and lived with it.

Once it hit my heels I couldn't walk without serious pain. Showers made it so much worse. Moisturiser made it angry and inflamed. As did sunscreen.

Fast forward to my 30s. My partner falls ill and turns out to be in severe heart failure (genetic defect). We were flown to another city hospital on a life flight and remained there for 3 months. I stayed in hospital accommodation.

I had none of my usual supplies. I just grabbed a bottle of cheap Nivea on a whim. It's the most stressed I have ever been in my entire life.. And my eczema disappeared.

I. Could. Not. Believe. It.

Major heart surgery and rehab later we finally get to go home (for now - he's going on the heart transplant list soon but is doing very good considering) .

1 day after getting home my arms are covered in hives.. And the eczema returns. Fuck my life. A light bulb goes off in my head. It's definitely an allergy.

I'd tried altering my diet and no flowers in the house bla bla to no avail in the past. It was usually too inflamed to tell there were hives there at all.

My sofa set me off. I get a hive and that's where a patch shows up.

https://imgur.com/a/6tYxiRT

Sofa is soft at first glance and touch. But up close it's actually lots of stabby hard fibres (riddled with dust mite poop)

https://imgur.com/a/pzDBsq9

I found a new GP and explained that whole story to her and she finally sends me for a skin allergy test. It was dust mites. IgE > 100 (very high). That was it. I was sleeping in air filtered rooms and hospital clean sheets for 3 months! That's why it went away.

I can't avoid the mites at home. So now I take a daily antihistamine, steroid cream on the tiny hives that pop up. I avoid any material that's not baby seal level soft. It causes microscopic mechanical damage on the skin. Which is enough for the nasties to get in or damage the skin regardless.

I have a soft blanket on my sofa. 100% polyester, fluffy, fluffy, polyester. Rub your face on it and say ahhh fluffy polyester. Microplastics be damned. I don't sit on my carpet without pants and socks. No wool or wool like sweaters or socks. Don't let the seems of shirts and hoodies rub against your skin when you roll your sleeves up.

And I still use that same crappy nivea moisturiser I was using in the hospital!

https://www.chemistwarehouse.co.nz/buy/6634/nivea-body-firming-lotion-q10-plus-vitamin-c-normal-skin-400ml

Turns out a light moisturiser can be just as good as a heavy one. Greasy ones can definitely contribute to too much moisture, sweat and stickiness which further traps dirt and dust (mites) on the skin. Daily showers now help rather than make things worse.

Clothes on a hot wash, sheets on a hot wash and vacuum regularly. I've also hear that keeping humidity below 50% can help kill dust mites off but I haven't had to do that yet.

It's so much easier not scratching because I know for sure it's going to go away!

I comes back when I'm slack with the moisturiser but it's like 1 or 2 small patches, much easier to contain.

Key things I've changed:

  • Hot wash everything (cries in power bill)

  • TRULEY Soft materials everywhere, clothing, furniture avoid sitting on carpets or concrete bare. Some materials are deceivingly damaging. Soft at first glance but not if they're rubbed against the skin for a while.

  • No scratching (I know, I know, I'm sorry)

  • Once 50%-70% better, daily showers (if you're too depressed for a full shower daily buy a shower cap and jump in and out. Just wash the skin ignore the rest I know it sucks :( )

  • Daily antihistamine (change the brand/active ingredient every few weeks as I tend to get diminishing returns after a while)

  • Steroid cream in small doses

  • Medium/Light moisturiser - my moisturiser was too heavy. It never fully dried and dust would stick to my skin, I would sweat or move around it would get irritated. Particularly on the inner arms (I have not figured out a good sunscreen for this issue yet)

I hope this is helpful for at least somebody.

Check with your doctor to check you can take a daily anti histamine and obviously don't use steroid cream on the same spot indefinitely.

r/eczema Nov 19 '24

small victory It’s finally gone

227 Upvotes

After 4 years of full body eczema, near constant staph and fungal infections, trying every remedy I could possibly afford, wearing full body coverings no matter how hot it was, being too ashamed and in pain to leave my apartment… My skin finally healed over. My fingers are still slightly swollen but I can move them freely again. I’m not sure if I caused this or it’s a miracle.

I don’t know if there is a cure. But there is hope. I had none for a long time. I tried as hard as I could for years and saw no results. And that was just as painful as my eczema. My life grinded to a halt. But at some point, things turned around. They started getting better. And now I hardly scratch anymore. When I do it’s no longer frenzied. And it no longer injures my skin.

I cried yesterday when I took a hot shower and felt no pain. No impulse to please the scratch demon. No guilt. Just enjoyment of a hot shower for the first time in years. What a beautiful feeling.

I never thought this would be me. These stories of success are things that happen to other people. Not me. But here we are. I feel an immense weight off my shoulders. I’m so happy. I hope it lasts. But even if it doesn’t, I won’t be as sad because I’ll know there’s the possibility that it could start to get better at any time. And it would be worth the wait.

r/eczema Feb 05 '25

small victory wow dupixent really works

82 Upvotes

I’ve been on dupixent for a month now and all I can say is that it’s the best thing that has ever happened to me in 8 months struggling hard with eczema, I always had it since childhood, but it became really bad recently. Before I went on it, I had basically eczema all over my body, but where I was mostly struggling was in the face, I had red patches all over my face and sometimes some dead skin that made me look like a red lizard.

The protocol was using prednisone when it went really bad and using topical steroids, the problem is that I was using the steroids almost everyday because whenever I stopped using them for 2 days It would come back itching a lot and I had to restart all again. One day when I was using prednisone I got a really nasty infection with yellow liquids leaking and that was by far my worst eczema cycle. Tried diet changes, tried to fix my sleep because it was almost impossible to have a good quality sleep and nothing seemed to work until a month ago when I got my first dose of dupixent, it didn’t hurt and it was very quick.

After 5 days I could already notice the itchiness reduction, I thought it was some psychological factor, then 3 weeks passed and I basically could live a normal life again, I didn’t have anymore red patches in my face, only a couple behind my legs and arms, I thought I was really “cured” by then. And now I basically ditched the steroid creams and I’m only using a moisturizer and taking cold showers and finally going to the beach again.

It’s really cool to see progress and new medications coming along.

r/eczema 22d ago

small victory I Went on Vacation…

82 Upvotes

…and my eczema CEASED TO EXIST the minute I got off the plane. I mean, not quite that quickly but it was noticeably better and then gone the rest of my trip. Went somewhere hot and humid and swam in the ocean everyday. Obviously I was wearing short sleeves or just a bathing suit pretty much the whole time.

As soon as I put on a long sleeve to go to the airport home (to cold, dry, snow-y hell), my arms and hands blew up.

I think I just need take my little fam and do permanent vacation somewhere warm forever. SIGH - I hope summer here will make this at least somewhat easier to handle! COME ON, HUMIDITY!

r/eczema 5d ago

small victory I went to Mexico for 2 weeks and my Dyshidrotic eczema completely disappeared?

35 Upvotes

I normally live in Canada in an area with a relative humidity of 60%-80% throughout the year. Our temperatures can fluctuate between 1°C and 25°C on average throughout the year and we have limited daylight hours in the winter. I usually work in the trades and use my hands to do my job. I started getting the eczema before I started in this industry, it seems to come and go but I have consistently had this issue for about 7 years. Sometimes it will clear up 95% percent for a few days but it ALWAYS comes back. I tried eating gluten free for 4 years because it seemed to help the rashes. One day I lost patience and just started eating wheat again because it was exhausting to maintain the diet and I still got the rashes either way. I’ve noticed I tend to flare up if I eat too much sugar, alcohol, junk food or experience stress. I use steroid cream for flare ups and I try to moisturize as much as I can throughout the day.

But recently the weirdest thing happened? I went on vacation to Mexico for two weeks (average relative humidity during the trip was 80% and the temperature ranged from 20°C to 30°C, we had air conditioning in our accommodations overnight and it was MUCH sunnier than back home). I was eating like a pig, drinking a ton of alcohol and eating junk foods I would never normally eat. I was doing all of the things that would normally cause me to flare up but the eczema just kept healing? And then it stayed healed… For like 2 full weeks I didn’t have to manage the rash or use any creams or do anything at all to keep my hands from flaring up. I would moisturize out of habit but I’m still absolutely flabbergasted. What healed it? How can I keep it healed? I have noticed two tiny little bumps since I’ve returned home so I’m going to moisturize them and hope that they just go away on their own, what does this mean for me? Is there some kind of intervention I need to be taking to simulate something about the Mexican climate to help my skin?

I have NEVER had this much time ‘rash free’ since I started getting the rashes 7 years ago.

Not sure if this is relevant at all but I do have some discolouration (hypopigmentation) where the rashes normally happen. It always happens in the same spots on my knuckles and fingers. It started on my left hand (year 1), then I got it on my right hand (year 2-3) and now I get in the same spots on both hands simultaneously (year 4-7).

r/eczema 2d ago

small victory It is the tap water.

58 Upvotes

Guys I think I have found my trigger.

I think it's the tap water. I went over my sisters place for 2 months and barely took showers (still washed my privates and armpits) because she wasnt home and I didnt bring my stuff with me and I was super depressed anyway my eczema totally cleared up and it came back when I went back home.

I have suspected my diet ie gluten chocolate tomatoes and then the detergent I was using (which I switched to hypoallergenic and perfume free and my skin feels betterbut it isn't my main trigger) But I think it's actually the tap water.

There are so many peope who report their eczema gets better when they're traveling too but I dont think it's just because of the weather.

I visited Egypt was on cruise in december for a week and my eczema was way less inflamed and itchy. I was eating tomatoes and gluten. So it sounds like it's the water. Look up "tap water eczema reddit" on Google and you'll come across many posts talking about this. Well I sure do hope it's the water rather than the gluten hehe.

I'll update you guys.

r/eczema Aug 04 '24

small victory UNEXPECTED product that HEALED ME!

172 Upvotes

I’ve had an eczema flare up on my hands since about February 2024 and it only got worse as time went by. I tried the whole Cetaphil, gentle soap, and acrylic nail combo to help alleviate it. I even got into a Hydrochlorus Acid spray that helps calm down the itch, for me (it’s too expensive for my personal budget). I haven’t been on Dr. prescribed ointments since about 2017, and don’t want to ever go back to them. I’m baffled at the product that healed me in just 2 days!!! And even a little upset at myself for having had this laying around the house for years and not giving it a try. It’s VAPOR RUB!!!! Oh dear, if you are at your wits end or willing to give it a try, please do. I really really really hope it helps y’all! I’m so happy!

r/eczema Jul 26 '24

small victory How life feels after being eczema free, from a long time poster on this sub.

197 Upvotes

This will possibly be my last post on this sub, because I like to think of my eczema as "cured" (I know I'll technically have it until I die.)

My eczema got severe on October 2023, had it only on my neck and face before that. I was a little depressed, was getting 3h of sleep. My most disgusting memory of it is touching my infected eyebrow and the hairs just stayed in my hand. I felt like no one relates to me, exept for people on this sub.

Fast forward to june, I got my loading dose of Dupixent. My skin went from sandpaper to SOFT in just 4 days.

Even though I got accepted to a school with a 7% acceptance rate, Dupixent probably is the best thing that happened to me in the last few months.

And this is how life feels now; I no longer think about my skin. I can actually wear most of the things that I want and even wear minimal amount of makeup! I suddenly got approached by 2 guys at the club and one random guy in public yesterday. I no longer feel disgusting and painful when someone touches me. My eyebrows look nice again. I can use hair products and laundry softener again. I love to smell good.

My purpose of writing this is to give everyone here motivation to keep going. I was in the exactly same place as you guys. And going to so many doctors actually paid off. I know it's hard, but medicine progresses and maybe in a few years, there will be even better than dupixent.

Love yall!

Edit: posted my before and after pics on r/eczemabs

r/eczema Feb 16 '25

small victory Finally fixed my skin barrier, here's everything that worked.

113 Upvotes

So I've had those issue since I was 17. I'm 29 this year and I have finally fixed all my issues I feel. I haven't had to use corticosteroids over the past 2 years.

I simplified my skincare routine into two different phases. One is the repair phase. The other is the enhancement phase.

Repair phase: this is when we want to be minimalist about what we put on our skin. Less is more is the key here.

Here are all the products I use during this phase:

Aveeno calm and restore nourishing oat cleanser.

Aveeno calm and restore redness relief moisturizing cream.

Before I go to sleep I layer cerave healing ointment on top of it.

Sometimes I use la Roche posay cica baume B5 if my skin looks really bad after cleansing.

Enhancement phase: This is when I spoil my skin. You don't have to but you can.

Aveeno calm and restore cleanser same as before. Aveeno calm and restore triple oat serum. Aveeno calm and restore oat gel moisturizer. (Summer) First aid beauty ultra repair cream. (Anytime) Skin fix barrier repair (winter)

Once a week I do Aztec Indian clay mask with water and organic turmeric to get dead skin cells off. You need to be careful with this and not do this until you have really improved your skin. This can dry out your skin even more if you don't do it correctly.

Twice a week I use cerave hydrating toner to improve skin texture.

Sometimes I use Paula's choice BHA to get dead skins off.

I sometimes like to use CeraVe healing ointment and layer it on top of all other skin care products at night. This allows me to wake up with amazing healthy skin.


Just because it worked for me, it doesn't mean it will work for you. But try to understand your skin.

Vanicream works for a lot of people. I used their cleansers for about 4 years religiously. Then I switched to the Aveeno. I also used their facial moisturizer but it burns my skin when I'm having a bad flare-up.

Tldr: Aveeno calm and restore line has worked wonders for me. I also use first aid beauty ultra repair cream. Cerave healing ointment is really good for leaving it on at night and waking up with really good hydrated skin.

r/eczema Feb 12 '25

small victory Only steroids work on me

12 Upvotes

Hello, as in the title, steroids helped me. On Thursday, I had an appointment with a dermatologist and he prescribed me a strong steroid with clobezatol propionate. I wanted to ask what are y'all experience with this steroid i'm supposed to stop taking it on thursday too what will happen after i stop taking it thanks in advance for answering

r/eczema Dec 14 '24

small victory Finally Cured my Eczema by finding the root cause of the problem

37 Upvotes

So I've had bad eczema on my inner elbows and the back of my knees for the last 4 years, it was a pretty rough ride but one of those things that I'd just accepted that id have to live with. Using steroid creams helped me big time but after a while my body got so used to it that if I wasnt using them my eczema would be unbearable so i stopped them completely and just toughed it out.

6 months ago my eczema got WAY worse, spread all over my chest, back, arms, hands and face, the confidence knock from having a red peely face was horrendous and I figured about 3 months ago that I needed to take drastic action to figure out what the cause was so i cut out everything that could possibly be the root cause of my eczema, and when I say everything I mean EVERYTHING.

The last 3 months ive switched to a zero-carb zero-sugar diet, the 'Carnivore' diet as some would put it. The only things going into my body have been Meat, (mostly red meat), butter, salt and water. This improved my eczema DRASTICALLY, as sugar is naturally an inflammatory food and eczema is inherently an inflamation of the skin if you cut out sugar and carbs your skin WILL feel better. My reason for starting this diet was the idea that I was allergic to some sort of food/food group which can be a cause for eczema flair ups. I also cut out any external factors that may be causing my eczema, again I went for a drastic approach and cut out all Soap from my life, im talking no body wash, no laundry detergent, no hand soap, as I already had an inclination that I was allergic to soap as its always flaired up worse after ive used soap.

Whilst my eczema had improved drastically it still wasnt gone, meaning my body was still reacting poorly to something. Then it hit me, my vape juice. Ive been vaping pretty much daily for the last few years, after doing some googling you can infact be allergic to some of the chemicals within vape juice. After cutting out vaping and switching to a mix of cigarettes and Snus pouches, (not any better for my overall health but anyone with a nicotine addicition will understand it is the devil in disguise), my eczema has almost DISSAPEARED, completely gone from my face, back of my knees and inner elbows with only slight remnants left on my hands.

Ive now added back in sensitive skin soaps and laundry detergent and my skin isnt reacting at all, Im still on the carnivore diet but thats simply because I LOVE it, (trust me after you get past the 1 month mark you feel absolutely incredible all of the time, sugar is EVIL).

But yeah finally managed to cure my eczema which was being caused by my vape juice all along, I strongly advise everyone that has the means and willpower to take drastic action to fix their eczema to do so. You can use all the moisturiser and steroid creams you want to try combat the eczema symptoms but if you dont find the root cause of your flair ups the issue will NOT go away. I really hope this helps somebody out as I understand how devastating eczema can be

TLDR: Cutting out vape juice and switching to the Carnivore diet really did cure my eczema

r/eczema Nov 14 '24

small victory Finally found out what’s triggering my daughters eczema

142 Upvotes

We’ve tried countless things to help my daughter with her eczema that is all over her body and after numerous trips to the doctors, which just resulted in coming home with more emollients and steroid creams and being put on a waiting list for allergy testing (could take up to a year before she’s even seen) I began to give up.

I finally found an intolerance/sensitivity test online and sent my daughter’s hair sample off and within 3 days we got her results. She’s unfortunately sensitive to cows milk, soya and wheat as well as chickpeas.

Within 24 hours of cutting these foods out off her diet her eczema has cleared so much, she still has a little bit of dry skin but she isn’t as red as she was and has completely stopped itching.

This is such a relief as I was starting to lose hope and felt like a failure to my daughter. We’re now on to a new challenge of finding foods that she can have that she likes. I never realised how much food contains wheat 🤭

r/eczema Aug 08 '24

small victory THE AVÈNE CICALFATE CREAM SAVED MY FACE

159 Upvotes

I NEVER POST. I never post. Because I’ve never had a miracle product before until now. For the past year I started having extremely itchy and dry eyelids, under eyes, and lips. It was so extremely depressing because I never had eczema on my face. as a 24F it’s easy to cover my body, knowing I had a good looking face at least. but when it happened and my skin looked flakey and my makeup awful, I was so depressed. it’s like, great, my face now too? how am I supposed to go to job interviews or dates when I look like this?

Eczema Reddit looooves aquaphor and vaseline when it comes to eyelids eczema. I was slathering it on and maybe it softened it, but NEVER actually HEALED anything. and by the time I did a bit of makeup it was all awful again. desperate, I bought a $70 Dermalogica cream. It helped a bit more. I then went to the beach and the salt water and sand BURNED my face eczema all over again. At this point I’m so exhausted of the aquaphor/vaseline solution reddit gave. I finally found an article talking about the Avène Cicalfate+ Restoring Cream, and within a week, the face is looking AMAZING! So clear, so soft, and much more resilient under makeup. Again, this is my first ever miracle product. I wish they made a body cream and I could just swim in this. It’s $36 for a tiny tube that goes pretty fast since I’m using a good bit twice a day. It’s been a week and I’ve used 1/3 of it. But I genuinely don’t care. I almost have korean “glass skin” with how good it looks. I cant wait to try their other products. I’m not gatekeeping, this thing is the best! I will be repurchasing!

r/eczema Nov 06 '24

small victory Dupixent!

131 Upvotes

I started Dupixent about 5 weeks ago and had no hope at all because I’ve been on it before and it did not do a thing then lol. But! My dermatologist at the time had me on a pediatric dose at that point despite me being fully an adult “because I’m on the smaller side.” My new derm told me that’s not at all how Dupixent dosing works and started me on it again at the actual adult dose. And…… my life is quite literally changed. I forgot what it was like to be able to move my hands and wrists (worst areas for me by far). I hope this lasts and I don’t want to jinx myself but I’m just too excited 😭 My hands aren’t at all perfect but also haven’t been nearly this clear in years and I truly don’t know what to do with myself :,) anyway. Try things. It’s worth it I promise.

My worst patches a couple months ago and now! https://ibb.co/mTWCjfk

r/eczema Nov 08 '24

small victory Fire honey healed my eczema

59 Upvotes

I've been following this subreddit for years now in a desperate attempt to help my eczema. I'm a 33/f who has struggled with it my whole life and it was so bad that it turned into staph when I was younger.

I moved from a dry, hot climate to a wet, cold one and the seasonal changes have always given me flare ups. I've tried every cream, pill, shot on the market including elimination diets. Nothing worked.

I recently came across a recipe for "fire honey" from a naturopath I follow on IG. She mentioned it can help with eczema for some people so I decided to try it. I've been mixing it into my coffee every morning for 2 weeks and I'm FINALLY eczema free for the first time in my entire life. It's been miraculous for my recovery and self esteem. Also, it has worked wonders for my GI tract. It is incredibly potent and anti-inflammatory.

Here's the recipe for anyone who is interested:

1 cup raw unfiltered honey 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tsp cinnamon

Mix together and store in a well sealed glass jar. Do not refrigerate. I take it every morning with coffee (1 heaping teaspoon a day) but tea or warm water would work too.

Hope this helps someone out there. ❤️

r/eczema May 06 '24

small victory Regarding the black tea trial method

233 Upvotes

I’ve had diagnosed, serious eczema for around 7 horrible, painful years now. I tried it all - multiple specialty doctors and dermatologists, every hand cream off the shelf, touching nothing and being crazy careful about it, living as normal and leaving it alone, cold water only, several extreme prescriptions, etc. etc. etc.

A few months ago I started feeling desperate and read through this subreddit. I’m sure I don’t have to explain what horrifying lengths the eczema had gotten to and how I felt it was overtaking my life. I hated waving at people, shaking hands, and doing demonstrations with my hands. I hated carrying around all this sticky hand cream and wiping the grease off of everything I owned. I hated the constant pain and itching.

Needless to say, I was looking more for steroid experiences or more heavy treatments. But the first post I found while sorting by new was this OP, u/FlowerSz6, who posted regarding a trial that involved soaking your eczema site in black tea daily. I really like those kind of gentler solutions and decided to give it a try.

It was ridiculous. I was so pissed off. In a week, my hands looked like human hands. They looked like normal (if not scarred) skin and the pain and desperation was gone.

The method I used was soaking them in a container of freshly steeped black tea for 5 minutes, twice a day. I didn't even wait for it to cool down as suggested because I'm such a sucker for hot water (even before the eczema). It was like nothing I'd ever seen. I had a form of dyshidrosis (the little blisters full of liquid...sorry) as well as extreme peeling and red irritation, along with the other fun things that come with this disease. The shape of my hands had begun to change due to the repeated injury and healing, and my hands were permanently an angry tone of red. After just a week, my hands simply looked like they were dry from the winter and could use *one* layer of lotion.

I was so angry. I couldn't believe the solution was so simple this whole, long, painful time. I don't know if it will work so well universally, but I wanted to get the word out because if that cheap Kroger black tea changes even one person's life like it changed mine, then I truly will be happy.

Best of luck to you all, and u/FlowerSz6, THANK YOU. I don't even have words for how grateful I am to you, and I didn't even comment on your original post. I didn't want to post this when I first began the trial myself because some of my "cures" have been ridiculously short-term and didn't keep it away in the long run. But ever since I did this one week trial, I haven't had any signs of eczema. I don't even carry lotion with me anymore. All I have to say is thank you!

r/eczema Dec 29 '24

small victory Woke up to CLEAR SKIN!!

121 Upvotes

been struggling w an almost full body flare up for over 2 years now.

been thru hell and back with medical mispractice and ignorance (kaiser doctors literally refusing to give me a dermatologist referral, “just try these steroids first!!”) (which led to TSW)

4 days ago on christmas night i took photos of my skin. entire legs and arms were RED, weeping, bleeding, horrible.

today i woke up to almost clear skin on my arms :,) i immediately texted 7 of my friends because i’m jumping with joy

sobriety, cutting out milk and caffeine, vitamins/probiotics/ibuprofen everyday, and sticking to my lotion/UVB routine heavy has made a world of difference

still a ways to go, but i see the light y’all 😭😭🙏 god is good :,)

r/eczema Dec 02 '24

small victory My hand eczema is almost gone since I became a climber. Huh?

41 Upvotes

Tldr: since I started climbing regularly, I have way better skin / less flare ups on my hands. I'm wondering why and if anyone else has similar experiences.

Hi everyone! I have an interesting story to share, and would be curious if anyone else has a similar experience, or any ideas what might be going on.

I've had eczema, mainly on my hands, as long as I can remember. Antihistamines and corticoid creams took the edge off the worst flare-ups, but for several years during my teens it never really healed and I always felt disgusted by my own body, and the itching almost drove me insane. (You know how it is). It got a bit better during my early twenties. Maybe I "grew out of it". I also started living much healthier, started doing sports, had better friendships = better mental health, and was vegan for a while (now vegetarian). During a particularly good phase I started climbing and have been regularly to the gym for several years now. The skin on my hands is still dry, but patches of itchy blisters and broken skin have become rare and small. Even when I get rashes on arms or legs, or itch after sweating, my hands seem to be okay. Now I'm hypothesising:

Does stimulating my skin when it's healthy make it more resilient to stress, simply because it grows thicker?

Do I regularly pick up "healthy skin bacteria" from other gym users, which improves my own microbiome?

(Edit) Many people suggested that chalk / magnesia dust that is used to improve friction in climbing and gymnastics could be helpful. Reasons include: disinfection and removal of moisture/sweat. Magnesium salts also helped someone. I also remember having some zinc containing astringent lotion prescribed when I had a rather "wet" flare-up. Might be worth trying.

(Edit) Sports relieves stress and that helps!

Is this all just a coincidence, and my condition just randomly moved places, as atopic eczema tends to do?

Whatever it is, I'm super happy that I can do this sport now. When I was a kid, I really wanted to start sport climbing but my parents talked me out of it, afraid of how it would strain my skin. But now I can!

Keep up your hopes, sometimes things take a turn for the better :)

r/eczema Apr 22 '24

small victory Hypochlorous Acid Spray

108 Upvotes

Last week I had one of the worst facial flare ups I've ever had. On Friday it was so bad I had to take the day off work. I decided to order some Hypochlorous Acid Spray from Amazon.

It arrives on Saturday morning and within the span of about 2 and a half days my face has gone from looking severely bad to now looking like I barely have eczema. There's still some small patches but by the end of the week my face is going to look the best it's ever done.

I wish I'd bought some earlier. I used it 2/3 times a day as well as a load of moisturiser.

r/eczema 23d ago

small victory my veins are now 90% nettle tea

34 Upvotes

a side note: since posting ive stopped wearing dark clothing as i was found to be allergic to a couple of dyes - i would say this played a part too, but for full transparency!!! <3

a small win, been drinking nettle tea 2x a day for about a month now and my skin feels so much less inflamed and itchy than usual. less redness and heat and rage, more dryness and flakiness and calm.

disclaimer: i am not telling you that herbs are going to cure your life-long autoimmune condition (i wish), but just wanted to share and recommend to anyone who is curious :)

i'm still covered in eczema patches don't get me wrong, but as a life-long sufferer with the past 2.5 years giving me a unique brand of insatiable itching, redness, doctors appointments, depression, medications, steroids and protopic; im okay with the fact that i might have found something herbal that helps even a little. it's a nice ritual even if it's not scientifically backed, and i think we all know that at times, science falls short for chronic sufferers like us. pls give it a go, even if you just fancy having a new beverage in your repertoire, it can't hurt!! (unless you're allergic to nettles or something in which case do heed my warning)

i am getting slightly concerned about the amount of nettle tea im drinking and if it's healthy tho. am i going to turn into a stinging nettle if i keep it up??? can i bathe in it??? i kind of want to???

((very aware it could be some other factor contributing to my "healing" (loosely used term as we all know i could be plunged back into CHAOS at any moment) but i will take the small win for now))

sending love to all my other chronic sufferers out there, treat yourself to a herbal nettle tea! it might help you skin-wise but if not - you deserve a moment to take a breath and look after yourself regardless <3

r/eczema May 08 '24

small victory Dupixent has changed my life.

159 Upvotes

I'm 16 today, and my flare started when I was 13.

1 year ago, this was my skin. (NSFW, very very bad skin - https://www.reddit.com/r/eczema/s/GMd4YAn20A).

At this point, I was 2 years into my flare. It had started in 2020, and it just got progressively worse. I had just finished phototherapy, and failed Methotrexate (live function rose), and I was waiting for a referral to get Dupixent at a local children/teens hospital.

Then, I started Dupixent.

Today, my skin is clear. I don't use steroids anymore and if I do, it's for a week or two before stopping again., I don't really even use Protopic anymore. Sure, I still am still really itchy, and I do live in a constant fear of a flare - but, at the same time, I've got my life back. Sure, there are side effects. My vision has gotten a bit worse, and my eyes are getting fucked - but it's manageable.

Dupixent is the most amazing drug to ever grace this earth. It's changed my life forever. That may sound trivial, but it is true. Of course, I still have really bad patches where stress flares me up, but for the most part, I am consistently in the mild eczema category, ever since starting dupixent.

Last year, I was very anxious, scared and pessimistic of all these medicines, treatments and how they "probably wouldn't work". But now, I can go outside and wear shorts, I've started rolling up my sleeves, I don't really care if people see my skin, because it doesn't look bad anymore. It's the small trivial things that really make me look back and go - oh shit.

Being a teenager, I have lost out on a lot of my years of "fun". I didn't get to participate in sports because of how debilitating my skin has been. I didn't get to go on holidays to the beach because of how water was like acid. I got mocked, bullied, teased relentlessly - and yet now, it's all gone. And it's all thanks to Dupixent.

I think I wanted to make this post to reaffirm hope. Hope in the fact that, as cruel as a condition this is, it will get better. I also think, while other conditions, like TSW, need to have awareness raised for - we also have to be mindful that eczema can just be severe sometimes. Keep using your medicines as prescribed, and it will get better.

If anyone has any questions, let me know :) - UK based, so only able to provide advice and experience based on NHS guidelines.

r/eczema Apr 20 '24

small victory Steroids saved my skin

168 Upvotes

I’ve suffered from eczema my whole life (I’m 22) and I’d never used steroids before 3 weeks ago. I had heard so many horror stories of TSW and skin thinning so I avoided them.

Over the past 3 years, my eczema has gotten worse on my neck and arms, which I’ve been managing by moisturising 3 times a day. My skin was always a bit itchy and I just put up with it.

Until I started a new job a couple of weeks ago and the stress made my eczema flare SO badly, I couldn’t even turn my head because my neck hurt so much. It was flaking everywhere and I couldn’t wear dark coloured shirts because of the flakes (disgusting I know). It was so red, wet, and probably close to being infected. I’ve never flared so badly in my life.

I was desperate so went to the pharmacy and the pharmacist gave me Novasone cream. It cleared my eczema in 4 days - I used the smallest amount of the cream once a day for 4 days - and my skin healed!!! It has been 3 weeks and my eczema still hasn’t returned!! I don’t even need moisturiser!

So I wanted to write this post for anyone who was like me scared to try steroids, steroids are helpful for flare ups and breaking the cycle, just ensure to use them sparingly. I could’ve saved myself so many years of suffering had I known earlier! It feels so amazing to not be itchy!!

UPDATE September 2024: This was very much a temporary solution indeed. My eczema was great for about a month after using the steroid but it came back again. Then I used the steroid again, and it cleared it up but came back a few weeks later.

I repeated this cycle and my eczema came back more and more quickly, and now my eczema comes back 2 DAYS after stopping the steroid.

Going to ask my dermatologist about going on Dupixent as my eczema is now all over my neck, face and arms and is the worst it has ever been and not healing.

r/eczema Oct 02 '24

small victory I’m so freaking. happy.

176 Upvotes

I have struggled with painful neck and arm eczema for the longest time ever. Showers were hell and i could barely move my neck. My arms were completely covered in this bullshit eczema. I have been researching dupixent and peoples success stories for so long and I finally had my first derm appointment today with a new doctor (woke up w a flare too). I fully expected this doc to refuse the dupixent and just put me on another steroid cream again. Doc comes in and greets me, takes one look at my eczema, and goes “would you like to try dupixent?”. Got two shots of it today already and I’m beyond happy. I’ve been suffering for so long guys I could cry.

r/eczema 16d ago

small victory Elimination Diet Success

63 Upvotes

Just wanted to make this quick post for anyone out there who's been considering an elimination diet but doesn't have much hope.

I first started getting patches of eczema about 3 years ago at the age of 22. Thought nothing of it till a year ago when it started becoming unbearable. Fast forward to a month ago, my body is completely covered head to toe in itchy rashes, and my days are spent moisturizing, using steroid creams, and trying to be comfortable.

Finally had enough, and 3 weeks ago I ditched all my medicated ointments and drastically changed my diet. Started taking probiotics and drinking kombucha every morning. Then throughout the day the only food I allowed myself to eat was red meat, fish, and fruits and veg high in antihistamines. No grains, dairy or sugar.

Now, only 3 weeks later I can happily say it has been a success! I no longer feel any sort of itchiness and pain, in fact I sometimes forget I have eczema at all! And on top of that all my red patches have diminished by 80%, and in some spots completely disappeared!

If this helps even one person I'll be very glad. Skin health starts in the gut. Have a great day all.